Memphis Funeral Home

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Southern graces and extraordinary attention to detail are what you will find at Memphis Funeral Home. With nearly 90 years of history and many notable clients, we have a lot to live up to—and our daily focus is on providing the finest funeral services available to anyone anywhere. From the moment you walk into the bright, open foyer of our elegant Poplar Avenue funeral home, you'll feel welcomed here. A friendly and understanding member of our compassionate staff greets every guest at the door, and we treat you like our own family.

A sophisticated funeral home

Located in the heart of Memphis’s Financial District and across the street from Memorial Park Cemetery—the largest cemetery in Tennessee—our funeral home has the charm and ambiance of the city’s famed Peabody Hotel. Though we stopped shy of a fountain in the lobby and a daily duck march, we’ve taken care to create spaces that will be just as warm, wonderful and relaxed, with the hope of making a difficult time in life a little less so. We even keep a fire crackling in our fireplace during the winter.

Spaces for gathering with friends and family include the intimate Hearth Room and the spacious Sheraton Suite that can convert from one room to three, depending on your specific needs. No matter the size of your group, an option is available so you won’t feel crowded or swallowed up. For a large group and an extravagant event, our Life Remembrance Center rivals any hotel ballroom in town.

Elegant Southern chapel

The traditional chapel at Memphis Funeral Home seats about 200 and perfectly complements the modern Life Remembrance Center. With a cathedral ceiling with exposed wood beams, brass chandeliers, wooden pews and centuries-old tapestries, the chapel also has desired amenities such as a state-of-the-art audio/video system for movies and slideshows. The space seats about 200 for both non-denominational services and those steeped in religious tradition. There’s even enough room for us to roll in our electric piano.

Caring funeral home staff

The staff at Memphis Funeral Home is an exceptional group of people with a wealth of experience providing compassionate care. We treat the funeral home as if it were our personal home—and we treat the people who come here as if they were our own family members. Our goal is to provide a personalized funeral or memorial service for every person for whom we care. That could mean anything from a hayride for guests to a soccer game on the television to a special appearance by members of the Memphis Symphony. We take the time to listen and plan something truly special to celebrate life.

As a member of the Dignity Memorial® network, Memphis Funeral Home gives you the warm, familiar attention you expect from a locally operated business, but we also provide the value you deserve by way of the largest group of funeral, burial, cremation and cemetery providers in North America.

Life Remembrance Center

The first of its kind in Memphis, the Life Remembrance Center is a marvelous contemporary space for hosting a catered reception. Rivaling any fine hotel ballroom, the room has a cathedral ceiling with exposed beams, chandeliers and low-profile windows along one wall. When set up with a mix of posh seating groups, tall bistro tables and low round tables, it’s a sophisticated setting for a reception after a funeral. We bring in a full-service licensed caterer to provide a custom menu that is a treat for both the eyes and the palate. For example, you can have a decadent pie buffet, a lavish fruit and cheese spread, or a traditional Southern-style feast. Wherever your or your loved one’s culinary tastes take us, we feed them—and pull together an event to remember.

In-House Crematory and Florist

Memphis Funeral Home is proud to operate our own in-house crematory, staffed with caring employees, ensuring that your loved one will never leave our care until they are safely returned to you following cremation. Our in-house florist receives fresh flower deliveries daily, ensuring your floral needs are met and your expectations are exceeded.

History

Memphis Funeral home was originally founded as National Funeral Home in 1931 on the principles of honor, dignity and respect. The funeral home business was built on the idea of pre-planning a funeral, and our mission was to provide affordable, dignified funeral services that people designed and paid for in advance. It was a concept that caught on, and by the early 1960s, the funeral home was serving more than 3,000 families out of a single location—making it the busiest funeral home in the United States.

In 1962, the name was changed from National Funeral Home to Memphis Funeral Home, and since 1970, the growth of the business has been managed by Lon Thurmer (now deceased), Paul B. McCarver and E.C. Daves.

Serving the homeless, the famous and everyone in between

Consummate professionals, the experienced staff of Memphis Funeral Home has developed programs to provide financial, emotional and personal support customized to each and every family during their time of need. We are devoted to the legacy we’ve spent nearly a century refining and do not discriminate.

In our nearly 90 years in business, Memphis Funeral Home has provided services for thousands of Southern families from all walks of life, including homeless veterans, U.S. senators, Tennessee governors, religious figures and other notables, including Memphis's most famous musician.

Upholding a legacy

“Our plans for the future are to continue our heritage of care for each family we serve, meeting their needs one family at a time, and celebrating lives with dedication, excellence, innovation and dignity,” Memphis Funeral Home President E.C. Daves, says. “We are dedicated to the compassionate support of families during difficult times, helping them celebrate the significance of their loved one’s lives and preserving memories that transcend generations.”

As a member of the Dignity Memorial® network, Memphis Funeral Home gives you not only the warm, familiar attention you expect from a locally operated funeral home but also the value you deserve by way of the largest network of funeral, burial, cremation and cemetery providers in North America.

This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. With over 2,000 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 300,000 families a year.